The Jacksonville Jaguars will have to make several tough decisions in free agency. Some of their key players are slated to hit the open market, and they won't be able to bring all of them back, as they're $21 million over the cap.
The silver lining is that the Jags have a handful of players ready to step up. Moreover, a few others did enough last season to show they deserve a bigger role. With this in mind, here are five players poised for bigger roles in 2026.
Bhayshul Tuten, Jaguars running back
Running back Travis Etienne is among the team's most notable pending free agents. The Jaguars would surely want to bring him back, but there's a chance he'll leave. If he does, Bhayshul Tuten will be promoted to RB1.
Not long after the 2025 draft took place, speculation surfaced that Jacksonville wasn't sold on either Etienne or Tank Bigsby. The latter was ultimately traded to the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks into the season, but the former made a strong impression and went on to have a productive year.
Had Etienne not shown out, there's a chance that Tuten would have begun the season as the starting running back. With one year of experience under his belt, he's in a position to get a bigger workload, whether Etienne returns or not.
Ventrell Miller, Jaguars linebacker
After three good-not-great seasons, Devin Lloyd put it all together in 2025. In his fourth NFL season, the former Utah Ute logged five interceptions, earned a Second-Team All-Pro designation, and made the Pro Bowl. It couldn't have happened at a better time, as he's scheduled to become a free agent.
The Jaguars may have trouble keeping Lloyd, as he'll be one of the most coveted players in free agency if he's available. If he does leave, Ventrell Miller will be the first in line to replace him. The former Florida Gator missed his rookie season with a torn ACL but showed promise in 2024.
Miller saw a decline in playing time last year, and there will probably be a drop-off if he steps into Lloyd's starting spot. Having said that, he should have no trouble holding his own.
Caleb Ransaw, Jaguars safety
The Jaguars surprised everyone when they took cornerback Caleb Ransaw in Round 3 of the 2025 draft and later announced that they would switch him to safety. During the offseason, the former Tulane Green Wave flashed and was trending toward earning a feature role. However, he suffered a leg injury in training camp that brought his rookie campaign to an abrupt end before it even began.
Antonio Johnson is coming off a banner year, and Eric Murray fared well in his first season with the Jags. However, Ransaw will compete for playing time and could end up either seizing a starting spot or getting a feature role.
Last year, Andrew Wingard, Murray, and Johnson got ample playing time. Dewey may leave in free agency, and Ransaw could replace him.
Travis Hunter, Jaguars cornerback/receiver
Although the Jaguars had an onboarding for Travis Hunter in place, they had to learn on the fly how to best maximize his practice time, as they had no manual to develop a two-way player. Throughout the offseason, the team's brass had to make tweaks to the plans, but the team had seemingly figured things out at the midpoint of the regular season.
Unfortunately, Hunter suffered a knee injury that cut his season short. The silver lining is that he'll be back at full strength and will have an even bigger role on either offense or defense in Year 1. If Jacksonville doesn't properly address the cornerback position, the former Colorado Buffalo could start in the boundaries. Similarly, he could have a featured role on offense if Brian Thomas Jr. gets traded.
Parker Washington, Jaguars receiver
This one is a no-brainer. In his first two NFL seasons, Parker Washington mainly saw playing time in the slot, and mostly when Christian Kirk got hurt. Once Kirk was traded to the Houston Texans last year, it cleared the path for Washington to get a bigger role.
Right out of the gate, the former Penn State Nittany Lion made a strong impression in training camp. Then, the regular season came, and he turned into one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets.
The Jags traded for Jakobi Meyers midseason, and Travis Hunter will be back in the mix. But even with those two around, Washington will get ample playing time in 2025.